BROADWAY OR BUST and More Highlight PBS' Fall 2012 Line-Up

The runaway British hit CALL THE MIDWIFE, a new drama that depicts midwifery in 1950s London, kicks off the PBS 2012 fall season with a six-part Sunday-night run that begins September 30. A production of BBC Worldwide and Neal Street Productions, MIDWIFE further strengthens PBS' hold on quality Sunday night programs and launches a fall full of drama - both fictional and real - anchored by Ken Burns's new documentary THE DUST BOWL, PBS ELECTION 2012 coverage of the presidential campaign including FRONTLINE's award-winning "The Choice," and the season two return of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC "Upstairs Downstairs."Sundays continue to be a source of captivating drama for PBS, while strong Wednesday "Exploration" nights feature new episodes of the science series NATURE, NOVA and an updated NOVA scienceNOW, hosted for the first time by tech guru and New York Times reporter David Pogue. Monday nights open with a series of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW specials that lead into the first fall season of MARKET WARRIORS. The award-winning film series INDEPENDENT LENS moves to Mondays at 10 p.m. beginning October 29, creating a new space for independent film that will also be the home for POV's 2013 season. Friday night PBS ARTS programs include the four-part series VOCES, which highlights Latino and Hispanic arts, and AMERICAN MASTERS "Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance."

"PBS' fall schedule, one of our strongest in years, builds on the knowledge that our programming approach is working, bringing in new viewers throughout the week," says Paula Kerger, PBS president and CEO. "Our incredible Sunday night schedule sets the stage for enhanced weeknight viewing, too. Mondays are poised to bring in a diversity of new voices and perspectives with independent films; popular Wednesday nature and science programs will continue to build with a revamped NOVA scienceNOW; and our nightly politics and election coverage will grow as we move toward Election Day and give viewers new perspectives on the issues they care about."

High-profile specials dot the fall schedule, led by the star-studded four-hour documentary HALF THE SKY, based on the acclaimed book by The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Pulitzer Prize-winner Sheryl WuDunn, about courageous individuals fighting female oppression around the world. In addition to "The Choice" from FRONTLINE, PBS ELECTION 2012 covers four debates - three presidential and one vice-presidential - and provides an in-depth look at healthcare, among other issues. BROADWAY OR BUST follows the build-up and the heartbreak, the drama and the disappointment of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE's "Death and the Civil War," by Ric Burns, shows how this bloodiest of wars transformed the nation.

PBS will present highlights of the fall schedule at TCA Press Tour, July 21 and 22, including sessions on CALL THE MIDWIFE, THE DUST BOWL featuring Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, HALF THE SKY with Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn and others (TBD), PBS ELECTION 2012 coverage, AMERICAN MASTERS "David Geffen," with the media mogul himself on stage, NOVA "Mars Rising," which will cover the upcoming August 5 landing of NASA's "Curiosity" rover, and many others.

Fall 2012 Highlights:

BROADWAY OR BUSTSundays, September 9-23, 2012, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET

PBS is bound for Broadway with a new three-part documentary series that tracks the real-life stories of America's top high school musical performers, vying in the ultimate competition to find the nation's best young theater stars. Part competition, part performance and part non-fiction drama, the series starts in regional theatrical programs, then moves to New York City, where the "best of the best" compete in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (a.k.a. The Jimmy Awards).

CALL THE MIDWIFESundays, September 30 to November 4, 2012, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET

Based on a best-selling trilogy by the late Jennifer Worth, CALL THE MIDWIFE is a fascinating portrayal of birth, life and death in a world drastically different from ours. This six-part series offers an unconventional twist to Sunday-night British dramas and brings mid-20th-century London to life, focusing on the joys and hardships of a group of midwives working in London's East End.

The saga continues at 165 Eaton Place, with new characters upstairs and down, in a six-part sequel to the much-loved MASTERPIECE series from the 1970s. Set in 1936, the lives of masters and servants have never been so captivating, as two new arrivals make their mark and Lady Agnes reveals a dark secret. Alex Kingston ("ER," "Doctor Who") joins the cast. The six-part series follows MIDWIFE, starting October 7. Viewers can catch up on the first season with a three-hour marathon September 30.

FRONTLINE "The Choice"Tuesday, October 9, 2012, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET

The quadrennial election special maintains its reputation for clear, unbiased reporting as it covers the 2012 presidential candidates. "The Choice" provides viewers an in-depth look at President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, exploring the forces behind their campaigns, voter views on the issues and the projected changes the eventual winner will bring to the White House.

THE DUST BOWLSunday, November 18 and Monday, November 19, 2012, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET

Ken Burns's new two-part, four-hour documentary THE DUST BOWL chronicles the environmental catastrophe that destroyed The Farmlands of the Great Plains, turned prairies into deserts and unleashed a pattern of massive, deadly dust storms in 1930s America. Personal survival stories and rare archival footage tell the story of the country's worst manmade ecological disaster. In conjunction with the broadcast, PBS celebrates the centennial of Woody Guthrie's birth with a repeat of his acclaimed AMERICAN MASTERS profile on Friday, November 16, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

FALL 2012 SCHEDULE:

(Listed chronologically by premiere date with multipart series, such as NOVA, listed under first air date.)

PBS ELECTION 2012

Under the umbrella of PBS ELECTION 2012, PBS' acclaimed news and public affairs shows NEED TO KNOW, PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL AND NATIONAL JOURNAL and FRONTLINE bring viewers the most trusted and balanced looks at the fall's biggest election news and events, each with its own unique perspective.

This weekly 30- minute news magazine series, with reporting from across the country, covers political issues from Main Street's point of view. It profiles up-and-coming political leaders and will report regularly from the road in key states. Essays from Jon Meacham and a diverse group of journalists and big thinkers are a weekly feature. Respected and experienced media professionals, including Scott Simon, Maria Hinojosa, Ray Suarez and Jeff Greenfield, both anchor the program and report from the field.

Election-focused programming continues with gavel-to-gavel coverage of the conventions in Tampa and Charlotte, live web streaming of the political activity and conversations with local delegations throughout the day on the ground. Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff co-anchor live coverage of election specials, including the presidential debates on October 3, 16 and 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET and the vice-presidential debate on October 11, at 9:00 p.m. ET, each followed by a 30-minute analysis. NEWSHOUR covers election night on November 6, beginning at 6:00 p.m., with a full evening of news and analysis.

Gwen Ifill hosts PBS' longest-running public affairs series, which features Washington's top journalists analyzing the week's top news stories and their effects on the lives of all Americans.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "Death and the Civil War"Tuesday, September 18, 2012, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET

This documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Ric Burns chronicles the bloodiest war in our nation's history and explores how the shattering death toll of the American Civil War transformed not only individual lives, but the life of the nation, from its understanding of citizenship to the profound struggle of a deeply religious culture to reconcile these events with a belief in a benevolent God. Presented for the 150th anniversary of Antietam, the bloodiest day of battle on American soil.

POVThursdays, September 20 to October 25, 2012, 10:00 p.m. ET

The award-winning POV series, which features America's best independent filmmakers, premieres five films on Thursdays this fall. September 20: "I'm Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful" is Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme's intimate account of a woman's five-year crusade to rebuild her beloved neon-green house, her church and her New Orleans community after Hurricane Katrina. September 27: "El Velador (The Night Watchman)" documents the life of a mausoleum guard in Mexico - a reminder that peaceful existence persists amid the turmoil of Mexico's deadly drug war. October 4: "Give Up Tomorrow" exposes shocking corruption within the Philippines judicial system and one of the country's most sensational trials. October 18: "Sun Kissed" shows a Navajo couple's tragic realization that they continue to face consequences of the Navajos' Long Walk - their forced relocation by the U.S. military in 1864. October 25: "Nostalgia for Light" presents a remarkable meditation on memory, history and eternity in Chile's remoTe Atacama Desert.